What

YALSA wants you to get involved! You can make a difference and your participation is needed to help ensure that Congress understands the positive impact that well-stocked, professionally staffed libraries have on teens.

How

There are several ways that you can advocate for libraries on National Library Legislative Day:

Travel to Washington, D.C.

Participate in the event onsite on April 23-24! Be sure to register and contact your state's NLLD coordinator to let them know you're coming. Details at the National Library Legislative Day Website.OR

Tweet Your US Senator

April 24th is National Library Legislative Day and it only takes a minute of your time to make a difference! All you need is Internet access and a Twitter account.

Click on the “Tweet” button (the text of the message has already been created & appears in the text box)

Encourage others to do this by forwarding the link of the map to them, adding the link to your Facebook page, blog or web site, etc.

To learn more about NLLD, please visit www.ala.org/nlld. To learn more about other ways can advocate for library services to teens specifically, visit [1]. Thank you for all that you do to ensure teens have access to great library services and resources and thank you to YALSA’s Legislation Committee for creating this advocacy tool!
OR

Organize a Contact Congress Party in Your Community!

Invite patrons and library supporters to the school or library (or choose another location) on April 24th to contact their Congresspersons’ offices and let them know how much they value libraries. Focus the party on one or more of the following communication tools: cell phones, email, postcards and/or Twitter. This could be a drop-in event, where patrons and supporters can stop in at any time during the day to make the calls, emails, etc., or you can choose a particular time and have everyone gather at once. Keep in mind that Congressional offices usually close at 5:00 PM, EDT.

Reserve a space for your event.

Recruit volunteers to assist with or be the organizers of your event. Possibilities include your Teen Advisory Group or Friends of the Library.

Work with volunteers to market the event through the library’s web site, social networking tools, fliers and more.

Before the event, collect success stories about the real-life impact your library has had on the community it serves. These can be personal stories from individual patrons, newspaper articles from your local paper, or blog posts, photos, etc. Stories can illustrate a large or small impact, from a successful “one book” program to a computer workshop for senior citizens led by teens.

Put out a call for stories via email, or a social networking site, or collect stories in the library via a bulletin board or at the circulation desk.

If you know someone with a great legislative or advocacy story, please nominate them for YALSA's Advocate of the Month through this online form: [2] They will be featured on the YALSA blog and receive a certificate. This is also a great way to recognize those legislators that support libraries.

Reach out to the local media and invite them to come, and/or write a press release and send it to them. Visit ALA's online advocacy web site for tips on reaching the media.

Designate at least one volunteer to take photos at the event.

Create handouts with your Congresspersons’ contact information on it and post them around the room. Contact information is at http://capwiz.com/ala/home/.

Create a festive atmosphere: provide snacks and decorate with red, white and blue.

Provide a sign-in sheet and ask participants to provide their names and emails so that you have a way of contacting them for future advocacy events.

Before the patrons make the calls, write postcards, Tweet, etc. provide them with some brief tips on how to craft a strong message. This .pdf document can help: http://tinyurl.com/3w7dgsv. Be sure to distribute the handout with YALSA's key issues and talking points and instruct them to use these as well as the success stories you collected. For the handout, go to YALSA's 2011 NLLD Talking Points (.pdf)

YALSA has created a Google Map to make it easy to send Tweets to US Senators.

Consider making and handing out stickers for those who participated to wear. Stickers could say things like:

I Called My Congressperson Today

I Support Libraries

Ask Me Why Libraries are Important

After the event is over, be sure to thank volunteers and participants. Consider writing a personal letter to any legislators who attended the event.

FAQ

Q: Does this event constitute lobbying?

A: It depends on the type of message that the individual sends. To be considered lobbying, a communication must refer to and reflect a view on a specific legislative proposal or legislation that has been introduced before a legislative body (federal, state or local). Nonprofit organizations that qualify for federal income tax exemption under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code have restrictions on government affairs activities. To maintain their 501(c)3 tax-exempt status, these organizations must avoid all political campaign activities, which means they may not participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for public office. However, they may conduct lobbying activities within permissible limits, as outlined by the IRS. For a helpful explanation, visit http://tinyurl.com/3nf3y7e.

Q: Why should I do this? Doesn’t the American Library Association (ALA) and YALSA advocate for libraries at the national level?

A: You are correct: ALA and YALSA advocate for libraries at the national level; however, advocacy efforts are more successful when there is grassroots participation. Members of Congress want and need to hear from voters in their districts. These are the constituents they serve, and as a voter your actions and opinions can influence them.

Q: How can I continue to connect with my members of Congress after this event and help them see the value of libraries?

A: Congress members spend a fair amount of time at home in their districts. When they are home, invite them to attend a library event, or invite them to participate in a library initiative. For example, ask them to pose for a photo for a poster that encourages reading. To find out when your member of Congress is home, contact their office or consult this Congressional Calendar http://thomas.loc.gov/home/ds/s1121.html. You can also add your member of Congress to your mailing list, so that they receive your print or e-newsletter.

Share What You're Doing

Please share any ideas or plans you have for National Library Legislative Day here. If you want to participate but need some inspiration, take a look at what others are doing. Also, be sure to log on to Facebook and let others know your participating.

Post Your LSTA Stories Here

YALSA's President and President-Elect will be attending National Library Legislative Day and one piece of Legislation they will be advocating for is the Library Services Technology Act (LSTA). If you have information about who LSTA funds have helped the teens in your community or state, please post that below so YALSA can share it with Congressional staff on Legislative Day. Please be sure to include your name and state. Thanks!

More Information

After you've contacted your legislators, tell YALSA what happened by posting a message in the discussion section on this page.

Why

We all know that kids and teens need libraries in order to be successful in school and later in life, but policy makers don't always know that. In order to ensure adequate funding and support for libraries, it's important to educate policy makers, stakeholders, elected officials, etc. so that they make informed decisions.

2009 Legislative Day Resources

Have you checked out a good book from the library lately or attended an event there that you enjoyed? If so, please take a few minutes to speak up for libraries. May 12, 2009 is National Library Legislative Day, an event sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) to raise awareness in Congress of the important role libraries play in the lives of Americans. The federal government provides critical funds to the nation’s libraries to help cover the cost of things like Internet access, computer terminals, online databases, outreach to community members with special needs and more.

So, be a part of National Library Legislative Day and please contact your Senator's office before May 14th and ask him/her to sign the "Dear Colleague" letter being circulated by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) in support of funding for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Program. The letter requests that the Senate include $300 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and $100 million for the Improving Literary Through School Libraries program for the 2010 fiscal year. The deadline for Senators to sign the letter is May 14, 2009.

This is a tough budget year and only a select few proactol reviews programs will receive an increase in funding for the 2010 fiscal year. LSTA and the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Program are in serious danger of receiving cuts or level funding without a minimum of 60 Senators’ signatures on the letter. Please contact your Senator's office by May 14th and encourage your friends and family members to do so as well!

Visit the ALA web site for contact information for your Senator and for talking points that you can share on the phone with the staff person in your Senator’s office. When you contact your Senator's office you must ask that he or she call Andrew Odgren with Senator Reed at 202-224-4642 or Mathew Hussey with Senator Snowe at 202-224-5344 to sign on to the letter.